Lebanons Nascent Gay Travel Industry - Essay Example

Article Summary: Gender and sexuality Hairy Chest, Will Travel: Tourism, Identity, and Sexuality in the Levant The article explores the issues of travel and tourism in relation to sexuality with reference to the Lebanon’s nascent gay travel industry. Section One LebTour: Imagery and Imagination, Representations in Flux The first section describes LebTour and its programs for gay tours in Levant for the past five years. It also explores how the image of Lebanese men is presented in the media, with the value of most images being determined by the masculinity and their worth as bears. In addition to analyzing the credibility of tourism in the region perceived to be highly hostile towards homosexuality, the section focuses on other related factors such as the interaction of different people, the gender categories and the conceptions of rights. Although travel tours in Lebanon and Syria cannot be exclusively termed as related to sex tourism, they variably attract gay tourists. Most of the tourists are attracted by the iconic advertisements that portray the destinations as having a perfect gay experience for tourists. Promotion of non-heterosexual tourism in Levant makes the gay tourists confident of hospitality. The section indicates that the travel tours are not only designed for gay tourists but also for bears. The recent boom in Lebanese tourism has been associated with the increased presence of the gay tourists. This followed after the government decided to shift its focus on the income derived from the tourists instead of their sexual identities. Use of the imagery of the bears in tourism marketing has boosted tourism activities despite the political instability caused by inter-border conflicts with Israel. One of the reasons that encouraged the advertising agencies to include the images of bears in their advertisements is to compensate for the loss of tourists resulting from the political instability and violence. Focus on gender and sexuality has increased the relevance of LebTours in tourism marketing in Levant. The success of the tourism promotional activities in Beirut is related to the fact that they do not exclusively focus on the income generated but transforming the destination into an international brand. Suggestive imagery is used to denote the relationship between cultural and sexual tourism as well as the conflicts that characterize their relationship. The images present a background of what is expected during the tours to the customers. The article indicates that gay tourism in Levant is inclined towards economic, social and political inequalities while being deep rooted in colonialism. For instance, some of the Slogans indicate that the tours are “Bear Arabia” that corresponds to the Arabian Gulf countries rather than Levant. LebTour has devised the mechanisms necessary for overcoming the challenges associated with globalizing sexualities and establishing a tourist niche economy that changes the localized negative perceptions of gay tourism. Section two Hairy Chest, Will Come The second section explores the prominent characteristics of men, especially bears and how they respond and fit into the lifestyle norms. It also focuses on the cultural experience of the male tourists that have travelled on LebTours from 2007 to 2011 and bears; masculine and able to pass the test of sexual subcultures. The research intends to present the importance of sexuality with reference to the changing views on sexuality in the Middle East. The section interrogates how these men view the region while analyzing how they describe their experiences regarding Lebanese and Syrian tourism. According to the article, the excitement and desire that should characterize tour travels is overshadowed by the conceptions of the repressive nature of the two tourist destinations. This explains how these men view themselves in relation to the societal attitudes. This section also questions the implication of the bears for Lebanese and Syrian men. The section explores the role of Bears in changing the sexuality of the society and how it is being applied by the local tourism entrepreneurs in internationalizing tourism activities. For instance, the presence of beards among men is viewed as a sign of proper masculinity by the locals rather than being a bear or a gay. The final part of the section analyzes how the tour operation, men travel and the changing gender categories acts as indicators of larger issues characterizing masculinities and sexualities. However, some of the tourists have affirmed that what is represented in the images does not represent the actual situation on the ground. The section describes the opinions of some of the gay tourists who view the area as dangerous for those that cannot hide their sexual identities. Although some tourists view homophobia as scary, it still maintains colonial nature of tourism activities; an adventure into enchanted territories with varying restrictions and views related to sexuality and gender. Some of the tourists also associate the high masculinity of bears with violence; leading to fear. The advertisement images of the bears attract the gender activists and sympathizers who tour the area to get an insight of the gay right in the area viewed as dangerous to non-heterosexuals. Localization of Sexualities: The Bear? The author defines Bears as gay men who do not exclusively conform to the behavior and mannerisms associated with the gays. Their outward appearance resembles that of non-gay men and normally avoids interacting with the men that display extensive gay behaviors. The Bear movement is composed of gay men that oppose the basic conceptions of the gay community and establish an opportunity of being integrated in the socio-cultural framework of the society. According to the article, this is especially crucial for the survival of the gay people in the societies that are prominently hostile towards gays. The author alludes that bears portray limited gay-like behaviors as well as heterosexuality at the same time. Conclusion The three issues associated with the analysis of sexuality and masculinity on Levant includes: the impact of commercialization and marketing through use of bears; the rights and experience of Lebanese under laws regarding sexual rights and the gender; and sexual historical perspective of Beirut. General Questions 1. How are sexual yearnings expressed in the images and how does the sexual imagery affect the decisions related to the legibility of the images. 2. Promotion of Beirut through focus on homosexual practices may negatively affect its image around the Middle East countries that are highly conservative and oppose homosexuality. How can this affect or sustain the future of tourism in Beirut. 3. To what extent do a bear differentiate from a gay? How do their behaviors differentiate them with gays? 4. What is the contribution of religion in the issues related to gender and sexuality in the Middle East? 5. What is the contribution of Lesbians in promoting tourism in Beirut society considering the conservative nature of the society and the influence of Islam religion? Read More